Radiography uses approximately 60 keV X-rays. It has served humanity for the past 100 years, and has been increasingly popular in recent years. The upper limit for X-rays used in nondestructive examinations is approximately 150 keV. Absorption contrast is used to image objects in radiography and nondestructive examinations. High-energy X-rays have not been used in the past, except in nondestructive examination of structures, because of their high transmissivity. The spatial resolution of absorption images is limited due to the scattering of X-rays.
Medical exposure is one of the problems in radiography. X-rays of about 60 keV are significantly absorbed into the body so that several rounds of exposure can easily exceed the legal limit. Both doctors and patients are exposed to serious danger when an operation must be carried out under X-ray visualization. Another problem is the accuracy of X-ray images. It is difficult to identify a cancerous region of 1 mm or less. In a nondestructive examination, it is difficult to get sharp images due to the scattering of X-rays. The absorption method, when high-energy X-rays or gamma rays are used, is not suitable for imaging light elements, that is, living organisms and animate matter.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a high-energy X-ray imaging device that generates high luminance and high-energy X-rays using an electron-circulating type X-ray generating device.
It uses high-energy X-rays of 100 keV to several tens of MeV that have never been used before, and the device images transmittable X-ray images of high accuracy aided by a two-dimensional X-ray detector in which its detection sensitivity is increased by the use of a thin film made of lead or other heavy elements. The high-energy X-ray imaging device also produces very fine images of both structures and bio-substances made up of light elements using the effect of refraction interference arising from the phase shift of X-rays due to density.